


Next of Kin

by Lennelle



Series: Next of Kin [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Caring Jody, Delusions, Gen, Sam Winchester and Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-06
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-29 10:26:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8485789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lennelle/pseuds/Lennelle
Summary: Jody Mills gets a call from a mental hospital two states away.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt fill from ohsam's Triple Play. The prompt was 1)mental hospital 2)Jody 3) next of kin.

She's alone when she gets the call, as she is often these days in her empty house with its empty rooms. She doesn't often get a call to her personal cell, whereas her work phone is overloaded with messages.

She almost doesn't answer. She's not sure if she wants to get involved in whatever it is that waits for her on the other end of the line. In the end, she picks it up. Something tells her it's urgent.

She learns that two states away in a mental hospital, Sam Winchester is kept on a locked ward. She also learns that she is his next of kin. She calls work and tells them she won't be in tomorrow, then she climbs in her truck and starts driving.

"Found wandering the streets," the doctor tells her. "He was dehydrated, hadn't eaten in a while. Someone called the cops because he'd cut himself, smeared his blood all over the place. He's clearly delusional, hallucinating. Sam was admitted a few months ago to a Northern Indiana state hospital. Do you know why he was released early, Miss Mills?"

Jody doesn't have an answer. She doesn't really know. She barely knows a thing about Sam. Never knew he'd been hospitalised before. All the while, she wonders where Dean is.

"Was there anyone else listed as next of kin?" she asks.

The doctor checks the file. "There's a brother listed here, Dean Smith, but we've failed to get into contact with him. You were the second person listed. What is your relation to the patient?"

"Um. I'm his aunt," Jody says without thinking. "Can I see him?"

The doctor nods, holds the door open for her on their way out of his office. The door to the locked ward is giant and heavy and it makes an awful grating buzz when it opens. Everything is uniform and dull white. The lights are yellow and sickly.

Sam Winchester is dressed in the same costume as the rest of the place: off-white clothes, soft shoes, plastic wrist band, bandaged palms. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, knuckles to his forehead. The man who shot her son.

"Sam?" the doctor says. "Your aunt is here."

Sam looks up, confused. When he notices Jody his eyes widen and he gets to his feet, slow and deliberate like he's aching all over.

"I'll give you both a minute," says the doctor. He leaves the door open an inch behind him. Jody turns to Sam.

"What happened? Are you okay?"

Sam shakes his head, smiles grimly. "I got into a mess, huh? I was - I was working a job. I don't know what happened. Someone saw something they shouldn't have seen, you know? Thought I was crazy, locked me up here."

Jody stares at him. His hair is longer than she remembers and he has stubble around his jaw that looks maybe two weeks old. "Is that all that happened?" she asks. "Where's Dean?"

Sam flinches. The smallest tick of his shoulders.

"Dean..." he says. He clenches his eyes closed, rubs his cheek. "That's all that happened. Dean's here. He's coming back. He won't be gone for long."

Jody hesitantly reaches out and places her hand on his arm. He seems to relax a little under her touch, she guides him back to the bed and pushes him down to sit.

"Dean's in the hospital?" she asks.

Sam shakes his head, frustrated. "He was - he's here. He's somewhere. He wouldn't leave me. I just have to find him and... and I was so close before they stopped me. You have to get me out of here, Jody. They think I'm crazy."

"Okay," Jody says softly. "If you tell me where Dean is, I'll find him for you. The doctor said they couldn't get in contact with him. Where did you last see him?"

"SucroCorp," Sam whispers, staring at the door. "We have to go."

"SucroCorp?" Jody repeats. She saw it on the news, how Dick Roman just vanished into thin air, how the company fell to pieces so suddenly. The media called it a mystery, but Jody knew the truth about the Leviathans. She'd always suspected the Winchesters were involved with what happened at SucroCorp. But that happened three weeks ago. If that was the last place Sam saw his brother...

"Sam, how long have you been on your own?" she asks.

"I'm not on my own," Sam denies. "Dean's coming back. Cas, too. I just need to find them."

She's stroking his head and she doesn't remember forming the thought to do it. She used to do this with Owen to calm him down when he got upset. She did it a lot when Owen got sick, she remembers how frail he was, how scared he was. Sam doesn't seem to mind it, he's too busy bouncing his legs and staring at the door.

She can see a little bit of blood seeping through his bandaged palms. Long slices he'd made himself. She can see how sick he is.

"Okay. Okay, Sam," she says. "We'll find Dean. You just need to rest a bit. I can see how tired you are."

Sam looks at her. "I am... I just. Dean's coming back soon."

"I'll keep an eye out for him," she promises. "I'll wake you up if he gets here while you're sleeping."

Sam hesitates for a moment, eyes on the door, then he lies down. "We have to find him, Jody. He's coming back. He will. He didn't leave me. Why does everyone leave? Looks like you are well and truly on your own."

"You're not on your own, Sam," she says. "I'm here."

She knows. She just knows that Dean is dead. Whatever happened, it was something awful.

Jody finds a spare blanket in the bedside cupboard and she drapes it over him.

"I'm here," she promises Sam. "I'm not leaving you."


End file.
